Mon 15 Aug 2005
I hope that industry critics weren’t watching G4’s G-Phoria awards last week, cuz they’d have a lot to be hot and bothered about (they even managed to get a few Hot Coffee jokes).
Commentary on the awards themselves aside, the most noticeable aspect of G-Phoria was the infusion of hot chicks and porn stars. B-list celebs and hot chicks way outnumbered actual game developers and industry folks. That said, to Jenna Haze’s credit, she did say she was a big gamer having played various Final Fantasy games and an obsession with Tiger Woods Golf…
It wasn’t until the post-awards “crashing the awards” show that we got to see some developers being interviewed, etc. While it is fun, to some extent, to see this attempt at bringing games into the mainstream, listening to various “famous people” proclaim their love for games and such, it all seemed a bit awkward and forced.
Doesn’t the industry itself deserve a little mainstream respect?
In related news, the IGDA has just announced the launch of the Sex SIG. I have no doubt the booth babes and hot award chicks will be part of the discussion… In further related news, G4 will be running a special on sex in games on August 23rd.
August 15th, 2005 at 2:35 pm
I think it’s funny that you’re bagging on G4 for the hot chicks and porn stars, and then announcing the sex SIG in the next paragraph. :-D
August 15th, 2005 at 3:04 pm
Heh, there is a world of difference between sex in games and porn stars/random beautiful people. The hot chicks on G4 are gratuitous and only serve to make G4 continually look like a joke. I like my porn stars on porno channels and Howard Stern- not paraded around like they’re an integral part of the games industry. I think it’s sad that we have to put b-list celebs on our award shows when so many a-list celebs are avid gamers. This only shows how little the folks at G4 tried/could pull off in terms of adding star power to their production :(
If people think porn stars have “mainstream appeal” they need to check some market research. Right or wrong, porn stars have a heck of a time crossing over- the vast majority NEVER do and the Pam Andersons are the big exception to the rule (even with someone of her fame can you really say she is respected as a mainstream performer?). If they want a mainstream audience they need to watch the MTV music awards, the Grammys, and the Academy Awards, etc. Porn stars only help keep gaming in the “teen boy ghetto” of entertainment (not a bad place to be unless you’re one of the hundreds of games who *could* and *should* reach a much wider audience).
August 17th, 2005 at 12:00 pm
On the G-Phoria site you linked, they have a poll:
“What are you most excited to see at G-Phoria 2005? * Game previews [27%] * Console previews [15%] * Celebrities [4%] * Bands [2%] * Geeks! [3%] * Hot chicks [50%]”
I wonder if “geeks” means “developers.” But coming with with 3% of the vote, it probably doesn’t matter.
August 17th, 2005 at 8:34 pm
Maybe when the industry starts having some _self-respect_ (i.e. not using “B-list celebs and hot chicks” to generate attention), then maybe the mainstream might have more respect for the industry.